Hello everyone!
We are well on our way to collecting 60 great items for our Big Night silent auction. Some of the highlights we have so far are:

• Coffee with Mayor Fuller – enjoy a one hour session with our new mayor to discuss the state of the city or anything of interest to you!
• Gift certificates to Legal Sea Foods, Stone L’Oven, and other restaurants
• A signed Bruins poster
• Four tickets to a New England Revolution game on April 13, 2019 at Gillete Stadium

We are still seeking donations and ask for your help. In particular, we are looking for sporting event tickets, additional restaurant gift cards and tickets to museums.  Please use the form below to solicit donations to businesses or to describe your donations. 

We are grateful for any other donations, thank you in advance. And a big thank you to all who have donated so far!

Sincerely,
Karen Markson, Big Night Chairperson

Please help Mr. LaBrache by answering the survey: 

“As part of a graduate education course, I am conducting a survey about homework and stress for our students and families. The results are anonymous and only data regarding the entire group and subgroups will be analyzed. Your thoughtfulness and honest feedback is much appreciated and will be extremely useful to guide us in creating a stress-reduced learning environment.

Please complete the survey by Friday, March 8th at 6:00 pm. Here is the link: https://goo.gl/forms/7BNp11aAQNkCzdsw2

If you are interested in possibly joining me and other parents/guardians on a committee to develop resources and strategies to help with homework and stress, please be sure to answer the last question. 

Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

Chris LaBrache 
Grade 7 Social Studies Teacher”

Parents/guardians of 8th graders and their 8th grade students are invited to attend a special introductory evening at Newton North on Thursday, February 28. The schedule is as follows: 

• 5:00-7:00 p.m. Open House
• 7:-7:30 p.m. Welcome
• 7:40-9:00 p.m. Panel discussions

Prep for course selection: Making the Most of Your High School Years set for February 27, 7:00 p.m.
Will you have a student at North in 2019-20? Join the PTSO and Newton North experts for a discussion of how to help your teen get the most out of his or her Newton North experience on Wednesday, February 27, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Film Lecture Hall. Topics will include course selection and the course registration process; teen development; and academic, social and emotional balance. See who is speaking at NorthPTSO.org. 

HPV vaccine facts from the School Nurse

The HPV vaccine protects against cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV is a very common virus; nearly 80 million people—about one in four—are currently infected in the United States. About 14 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year.

Most people with HPV never develop symptoms or health problems. Most HPV infections (9 out of 10) go away by themselves within two years. But, sometimes, HPV infections will last longer, and can cause certain cancers and other diseases. HPV infection can cause:

• cancers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva in women;
• cancers of the penis in men; and
• cancers of the anus and back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils (oropharynx), in both women and men.

Every year in the United States, HPV causes 33,700 cancers in men and women. HPV vaccination can prevent most of the cancers (about 31,200) from ever developing.

HPV is transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact. You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. 

All kids who are 11 or 12 years old should get two shots of HPV vaccine six to twelve months apart. Adolescents who receive their two shots less than five months apart will require a third dose of HPV vaccine.

If your teen hasn’t gotten the vaccine yet, talk to their doctor or nurse about getting it for them as soon as possible. 

HPV vaccination has been studied very carefully and continues to be monitored by CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). No serious safety concerns have been linked to HPV vaccination. The most common side effects reported after HPV vaccination are mild. They include pain and redness in the area of the arm where the shot was given, fever, dizziness, and nausea. Adapted from: www.cdc.gov/hpv

If you have questions about the HPV vaccine, contact Nurse Schy: Sue_Schy@newton.k12.ma.us 

The show will be presented three times on the Bigelow Stage from May 17-19, 2019!

Any student interested in participating in Ghostlight, whether in Tech Crew or Cast, will participate in a mandatory workshop on one of two days: Wednesday, March 20 (3-5pm) or Thursday, March 21 (12-2pm). At the workshop, each student will learn about the process of Devised Theatre and will write a monologue. Students wishing to be in the performance part of ensemble will perform these monologues at auditions!

Ghostlight is a Devised Theatre production that will be created by all the students cast in the Spring Show, both Tech & Actors. (Not everyone in the ensemble will be performing!) After several weeks of intense team-building activities and group brainstorming/playwriting sessions, a text for a play will be created.

More information at the Bigelow Drama webpage. 
Contact Mrs. P for more information.

Have you noticed how tidy our auditorium seems this winter?  Did you attend your child’s concert in what seemed like a much larger venue last month?  If so, then you are enjoying the first steps in a school wide effort to improve our precious community resource – the Bigelow Auditorium.

This shared space is constantly in use as both a performing arts venue and a classroom. It hosts grade level assemblies, CASC presentations, Band, Orchestra, Chorus, city wide singing groups, in-school Drama class, after school Drama club, parent meetings and more.  

As of January 2019, the improvements below have been completed:

1. A large storage container was bought and installed behind the theater to store large set pieces and seldom used props out of the auditorium, and to clear the hallways of such items as ping pong tables and boxes of extra books
2. Pest extermination was completed
3. Crumbling steps outside emergency exits were repaired
4. Ripped and damaged stage curtains were replaced and rigging was brought up to safety code
5. Spotlights were purchased (thanks to the PoPS) that will be in use for the upcoming Shrek musical

And there is much more to come. In conjunction with NPS, we hope to improve the safety and functionality of the space even further. A few of the items on our wish list: new tech booth, safety lighting in the aisles, improved acoustics, updated stage lighting, stronger overhead lighting in the audience area, fresh paint, and new carpet.

All these improvements, as well as future upgrades, are possible thanks to the planning, coordination and advocacy of the Bigelow Committee for the Improvement of the Auditorium as well as your generous financial support to the Bigelow PTO and the Parents of Performing Arts Students (PoPS).

Thank you!